If you are thirsty all the time, constantly tired with blurred vision and have itchy skin, you could be one of the estimated 850,000 people in the UK with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.

This condition, which happens when the body is unable to regulate blood sugar levels, affects around 3.7 million people in the UK.

Of those, 2.9 million have already been diagnosed, the vast majority with type 2 diabetes that usually develops after the age of 40 and is linked to lifestyle factors, including obesity.

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A growing problem

Barbara Young, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, said: 'When you consider the potentially devastating health consequences of type 2 diabetes, it's shocking that so many people have the condition and do not know it.

These figures show that every time we walk down our local high street, we are likely to be walking past people who have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.'

Although the disease usually develops in middle age, an increasing number of younger people now have type 2 diabetes, and even some children. The youngest person to be diagnosed so far was just 11 years old.

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'The problem of hidden diabetes is growing and it can have devastating consequences,' says Pav Kalsi, clinical advisor at Diabetes UK.

'By the time the disease is diagnosed, many of these people may have developed complications, which can be irreversible and life threatening.'

Diabetic retinopathy, when the blood vessels in the back of the eye bleed and cloud vision, is the leading cause of blindness in the country's working-age population.

Risk factors

Although it's important to pick up symptoms so the condition can be brought under control, the key thing, says Kalsi, is to identify people at risk of developing diabetes early, before they have a chance to develop the disease.

Diabetes UK launched its Type 2 Diabetes Risk Score Test in July 2010, which is now widely used by GPs and health workers to evaluate patients.

It's also an excellent online tool for people who want to check for themselves.

'It's easy to do and doesn't take much time,' explains Kalsi.

There are a series of simple questions, which look into family history, your ethic background (those with African or South Asian backgrounds are more at risk) and your own lifestyle.

From that, the software can pinpoint high, medium low risk of diabetes.

'If you score a high or medium, you can go to your GP or health provider and ask for a blood test to help make a diagnosis,' says Kalsi.

Being proactive

This proactive approach is particularly important since the NHS Health Check for adults in England has so far failed to take off.

During the last financial year, according to Diabetes UK, less than half (40 per cent) of people who could have benefitted from an NHS Health Check, which tests people aged 40 to 74 for risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and kidney failure, actually had one.

'This is a real concern because it's only by getting the condition diagnosed early that people can start getting the treatment they need to prevent serious health complications, including blindness, amputation, kidney failure and stroke,' says Barbara Young.

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'Getting these people diagnosed is a race against time and unfortunately it is a race we are all too often losing.'

Lifestyle changes

Many people – up to seven million in the UK – won't be diabetic but diagnosed with pre-diabetes, meaning that they are at very high risk of developing the disease some time in the future.

'This is the key time to make lifestyle changes to reduce your risk,' says Kalsi.

'Top of the list is losing weight, doing more exercise and changing your diet.'

Simple changes to meal planning can make a huge difference, according to Chris Cheyette, a diabetes specialist dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association who says the priority has to be reducing calories to bring weight down in people who are overweight.

'We don't expect people to make radical changes in what they eat but adapt meals they already know and like.'

This could mean swopping high calorie ingredients in a pasta sauce for lower calorie versions.

'Drop the cream and opt for a tomato-based sauce instead, perhaps adding some zingy herbs to make it extra tasty. Cook in a spoonful of oil instead of lashings of butter,' he says.

If you enjoy eating chicken, try it without the fatty skin and cut fat from meat.

When you are making winter-warming stews, replace some of the meat with pulses and lentils.

You don't have to cut out takeaways and processed food altogether, but reduce your intake. The same goes for alcohol.

'It is all about moderation. Keep it in balance,' says Chris Cheyette.

Some foods actually help to regulate blood sugar levels.

According to a Cochrane review of available research, a diet of low Glycaemic Index foods like pulses and oats could actually help to lower HbA1c by 0.5 per cent in people with type 2 diabetes.

HbA1c is glycated haemoglobin, which is found in the blood.

It's often used to chart someone's average blood glucose levels because the amount of glycated haemoglobin increases in a predictable way.

'Opt for porridge for breakfast and have lentil soup for lunch. Use a vegetable stock base and thicken with lentils and other vegetables to taste.

'You don't need to add extra salt, but use herbs to give flavour. As well as helping you keep blood glucose levels balanced, these foods can also help you feel fuller for longer,' says Chris Cheyette.

The materials in this web site are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor. The web site does not have answers to all problems. Answers to specific problems may not apply to everyone. If you notice medical symptoms or feel ill, you should consult your doctor - for further information see our Terms and conditions.

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